The Tribune

SOPHOMORE Caira Washington and junior Jonquel Jones combined for 31 points and 30 rebounds to lead the No. 23/24 George Washington women’s basketball team to a 65-57 victory over Atlantic 10 rival VCU at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Wednesday night.

GW improves to 23-3 overall and 12-1 in A-10 play, clinching a bye through to the quarter-finals of the Atlantic 10 Championship. The Colonials remain a game ahead of second-place Dayton (11-2) in the league standings. At 23-3, GW boasts the second-best 26-game record in programme history.

Washington and Jones each notched double-doubles for the second game in a row and the fourth time this season in the same contest. Washington finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting to go with 12 rebounds while Naismith Trophy candidate Jones tallied 15 points and matched her career high with 18 rebounds for her league-best 16th double-double of the season while adding five assists and a career-best six blocks.

Sophomore Hannan Schaible scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half and neared a double-double of her own with eight rebounds plus three steals, and senior Lauren Chase was the fourth Colonial to score in double figures with 10 points, including eight in the second half.

The game was tied (12-12) with 9:34 remaining in the first half before freshman Brianna Cummings knocked down a three-pointer to ignite a 10-0 GW run. VCU (14-12, 5-8 A-10) rallied to tie the game at 24-24 on a three-point play by Adaeze Alaeze with 1:57 remaining, but Cummings again put the Colonials on top and Jones followed with a trey. GW led 31-26 at the break.

GW opened the second half with a 12-4 run behind six points from Washington and four from Jones to go up 43-30 at the 15:40 mark and extended its advantage to 17 points, 61-44, on a pair of free throws by Jones with 5:50 remaining. The Rams, however, followed with 10 straight points, including a pair of three-pointers by Chadarryl Clay, to pull within six (61-55) with 1:59 to go. Chase curbed the spurt with a clutch bucket in the paint, and senior Chakecis Miller sank both her free throws with 17 seconds left to seal the 65-57 win.

The Colonials outrebounded the Rams 54-31, including 18-8 on the offensive glass, which they translated into a 20-4 advantage in second-chance points. It marks the 24th time in 26 games GW has won the battle of the boards.

Isis Thorpe led VCU with 17 points on 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while Clay poured in 15 points on 3-of-6 from long distance.

With her 18 rebounds, Jones now ranks sixth on GW’s single-season list with 294 boards on the year, and she moves into the Colonials’ all-time top 20 with 544 rebounds as a member of the Buff and Blue, which ranks 19th.

The Colonials return to action 2pm today when they host Atlantic 10 rival Fordham at the Charles E Smith Center.